Nagaland

Nagaland became the 16th Indian State on 1 December 1963 and keeps running with 12 districts. Capital of Nagaland is ‘Kohima’ and ‘Dimapur’ is its largest city. Total area is 6,401sq mi.

Cities To Go

Places To Go

Location

Nagaland is located in eastern India. It is bordered by Arunachal Pradesh state to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east.

Language

The official language is English. The Naga languages are a geographic and ethnic grouping of languages under the Kuki-Chin-Naga languages. According to 2011 census data, Nagaland has 14 languages and 17 dialects with the largest language(Konyak) having only a 46% share.

Peoples

Nagaland has a population of 1,980,602 according to the 2011 census. Nagaland is one of the three states with a Christian majority in India followed by Mizoram and Meghalaya. Some notable figure’s names are given below-

Sesino Yhoshu (film maker)
Temsula Ao (poet, short story writer)
Monalisa Changkija (author and journalist)
Talimeren Ao (footballer)
Rani Gaidinliu (Naga political leader who revolt against British rule of India)
Neidonuo Angami (social worker, shortlisted for Nobel Peace Prize 2000)

Culture and Traditions

Costume reflects traditionalism and diversity from tribe to tribe. ‘Shawl’ denotes the social status of the wearer. The ‘attire’ worn by the males includes a conical red headgear decorated with Hornbill’s black and white feathers and wild boar’s canine teeth. ‘Necklaces’, ‘Bangles’, and ‘Tattoos’ are reminiscent of the old age wars and sacrifices.

A relationship between a boy and a girl belonging to the same community is considered a social evil. In some communities, like ‘same’ ‘lot has’, and ‘changs’, a man can have multiple wives at the same time. Different tribes follow different cultures and rules.

The main occupation of the Nagaland people is irrigation. Besides it, they have been blessed with dexterity. The Nagas have carried their traditional art weaving by knitting unique colors and designs producing shawls, shoulder bags, table mats, etc.

Dance and music are essential parts of each tribal culture. Folk songs are performed with musical instruments like ‘Asem’ (drums), ‘Tati’, ‘Mouth Organ’, ‘Bamboo Flute’, etc. Dances are performed with folk songs that narrate the stories of bravery, romance, and historic incidents.

Some of the most important festivals celebrated by different tribes are ‘Suhkruhnye’, ‘Yemshe’, ‘Sekrenyi’, ‘Moatsu Mong’, ‘Bushu’, and many others. Besides these, ‘The Hornbill Festival’ is marked as the festival of festivals.

History of Nagaland

The 1816 invasion of Assam by Barman from Myanmar led to oppressive Barman rule from 1819 until the establishment of British rule over Assam in 1826.
The advent of the British administration, which by 1892 encompassed the whole of Naga territory ended the practices of headhunting and inter-village raids and brought relative peace to the region.
In 1947, after India became independent, the Naga territory initially remained a part of Assam.
In July 1960, the Naga people’s convention meeting resolved that Nagaland should become a constituent state of the Indian Union.
As a result, Nagaland achieved statehood in 1963, and a democratically elected government took office in 1964.

Cultural Foods

Naga cuisines are famous for their varieties and simplicity. Some traditional delicious food names are given below which you should try :

Hinkejvu (Made of boiled colocasia, cabbage leaves, mustard leaves, and French beans)
Akibiye (Meat mixed with local and exotic vegetables)
Akini Chokibo (made of snail meat)
Smoked Pork in Akhuni (fermented soybean is used here)
Fish in Bamboo (Fish is filled inside of bamboo and cooked)
Zutho (rice beer)
Galho (Soupy dish, made of rice and vegetables or meat. One kind of khichri)